Preamp: -4.9 dB
Filter 1: ON LS Fc 105 Hz Gain 5.5 dB Q 0.71
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 90 Hz Gain -4.9 dB Q 0.30
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1330 Hz Gain -6.0 dB Q 1.00
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2200 Hz Gain 1.4 dB Q 2.5
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3000 Hz Gain -2.6 dB Q 3.00
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3700 Hz Gain -2.1 dB Q 5.00
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4300 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 4.00
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5950 Hz Gain -4.1 dB Q 10.00
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 6600 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 7.00
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 7500 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 3.00
Copy and paste that into Focal Clear.txt then SoundSource ā Headphone EQ ā Add Other Profileā¦ and open Focal Clear.txt.
Interesting! Iām not sure how to load this into Headphone EQ but I recreated all of these bands on FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and it sounds v different compared to the Innerfidelity preset. On Pro-Q you can set the āgain scaleā - so 50% gain scale halves all of the dB amounts. It sounds much closer to the Innerfidelity preset when the gain scale is at 30%ā¦
Click on the Headphone EQ drop-down select box like you would if you were changing the current EQ profile. At the top is an option Add Other Profileā¦ Clicking that will open a File Open dialog where you can open the .txt file and it will create an EQ profile that is the same name as the .txt file.
But if you donāt like it in FabFilter then you probably shouldnāt bother.
Hi all, wondered if anyone could throw some light on an aspect of the different characteristics of headphones thatās been bugging meā¦ I did a comparison test between the Audeze LCD-X and Focal Clear and recalled the vocals being far more forward on one set than the other. That surprised me as I thought the relative positioning would be governed by how a particular recording was mixed, rather than the characteristics of a specific headphone. In the end, I decided on the Clears, the LCD-X sounding relatively muffled to me. Appreciate that all headphones will have different dynamic responses in relation to the Harman curve. What I donāt get is how aside from soundstage (which I understand can be influences by the angle of the drivers), headphones can have different relative positioning of vocals/ instruments in a given recording. Would welcome any thoughts and views on this.
we perceive things as closer to us when theyāre louder. different headphones emphasize different frequencies. if an instrumentās fundamental frequency or some combination of its harmonics are emphasized by a particular headphoneās frequency response, itās probably going to sound louder / closer.
a lot of people on this forum apply EQ to their headphones - especially headphones by Audeze which allegedly really need the EQ to sound normal.
Iām a huge fan of the Focal Clear with and without EQ.
welcome to the forum!
PS
Focal Clear vs Orphean Sound Darkvoice (stock tubes)
Iāve been testing out the Clear with a Darkvoice tube amplifier. I usually prefer the cleaner, more precise presentation of the 789 but the Darkvoice is a nice touch on some records
the Darkvoice does a wild thing to the Clearās soundstage. itās like the imaging is a little drunk. maybe a lot drunk. instrument placement is less precise and more spread out.
tonally, the Darkvoice sounds like it elevates the Clearās low end in a way that I donāt love. I much prefer the neutral tonality of the 789 on most material.
does anyone have any tube recommendations?
shout out to everyone else with disgusting old Focal Clear pads
Thanks. Eventually realised that the answer was probably as simple as that - mid frequencies for a particular headphone making vocals apparently closer. Thanks for confirmingā¦ā¦
Recently bought Naim Unity Atom (headphone addition) for use with the Clears, which Iām delighted with. Seems to me ( as youāve experienced with your amp) to add significantly more soundstage. Previously, Iād been using a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC/amp. Iāve no idea how it achieves that, but a definite improvement anyway.
Iām a bit late, but Iāve heard great things about the Feliks Audio Echo. The v2 is out now which is supposed to pair much better with the Clears compared to the v1.
Really really dig the Focal Clear OG + Darkvoice combo despite the impedance mismatch. Dying to hear what the Clear sounds like with something like a ampsandsound Kenzie. Has anyone heard that combo? What impedance did the Kenzie have?
What other tube amps have you liked w the OG Clear?
I got a SW51+ a few weeks ago and have been enjoying the Clear with it. Iām still trying to get a handle on the sound of the pairing. In some ways I love it. The amp does something to reduce the aggressiveness of the Clear and makes for a mellower listening experience. There isnāt as much bass bloom as Iād anticipated (this bloom was too pronounced with my ZDT Jr., for me). I need to start doing some A/B comparisons between the SW51+ and my tube hybrid amp, the Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid, which is an excellent pairing for the Clear.
Yes, itās on my radar as a possible future upgrade for this very reason.
I realize itās probably best to have a couple of amps - since my goal is to settle on having four or five different headphones - but it would be cool to have a single amp that could fuel them all!
I love the 32-ohm tap. I sometimes play with 100 ohms, but it all seems a little overbloomed at that tap. I go back and forth between the two but ultimately go with 32.
Thatās a good way to describe the difference. On the mids and highs, I donāt detect a huge difference (other than maybe in overall volume). But on the bass, thereās more presence, more oomph in the low end as you scale up the taps to 32. At 100 it starts to muddy up just a tad (though it might be just what some listeners want).
32 feels like the sweet spot - the most muscular presentation without the sacrifice of any detail or overall balance.
New here and having a bit of confusion as to how to navigate. Found a post similar to the one I was going to make, clicked the link and it said that topic was merged into this thread, but I canāt find where in the thread to see replies without scrolling thru the whole thread. I know I am missing something here. Anyway, I have an issue with my Focal Clears and I guess this is where I should post, yet?
What happens is this: When I tilt my head forward the topheavy headband slides down toward my forehead, and when I recline and tilt my head back, the headband slides toward the back of my head. So unless I am sitting or standing with my head upright, the phones keep moving and it feels clunky and bothersome. These phones are not uncomfortable, they donāt clamp too tightly, the pads are soft, itās just that they donāt lend themselves to doing anything other than sitting stock still while listening. For maximum appreciation of music, we shouldnāt be multitasking anyway, but we all do to some extent, requiring at the least some momentary change of posture.
What I would like is that the phones fit more snugly to my head, as my Oppo PM-3 closed over ear headphones do. Those are the phones I use for listening to my Astell&Kern DAP on the go, and although they clamped too tightly at first, having been broken in they are now comfortable to wear for long stretchesā¦ and they donāt move when my head moves. I bought the Clears three years ago for home use, as I wanted a better sounding set with the kind of sound stage an open model can give, but I have hardly used them at all - mostly because of the loose and clunky fit, secondly because the ten-foot stock cable isnāt long enough to reach to my bed where I like to listen (reclining or laying flat). And I wonāt go into the third issue, which is that my cat likes to chew things like laces, strings and cables and I donāt like having to worry that sheās doing that or chase her off when she does.
I really really wanted to love these Clears, based on all I read about them before buying them and my expectations, but it hasnāt worked out that way, and I donāt know what to do other than just get used to the clunky feel of them and live with it (having spent the equivalent of an entire monthās income on them), or sell them and buy a different model by some other brand.
So there you have it. I suppose I will soon be making a post in the Purchase Advice section (preliminary discussion with a sales agent at a competing online retail store has led me to consider the Aeon 2 open headphones, a strong contender in my next gear investment) and putting these barely used Clears up on eBay.
Edit: FWIW I am a six-foot male adult with a proportionately large head, so itās not that the Clears are too big for my head.
